Deliveries of drones and armored vehicles, training by Russian instructors from Africa Corps... Since the coup d'état of October 2025, security cooperation between Madagascar and Russia has been strengthening on the island. Growing Russian influence also extends to other sectors, and questions part of civil society.

Published on: 04/30/2026 - 6:19 p.m.

Two BMP-3 armored tracked vehicles, protective equipment… This is what appears in the images of the “handover of Russian military-technical aid” ceremony organized in a military camp in Ivato, Madagascar, on April 1.

The images were published by the Russian embassy in Madagascar, which specifies that "light weapons" would also have been delivered, and that the equipment aims to "strengthen the [Malagasy] defense capacity and develop the potential of the national armed forces".

This delivery took place in the presence of the transitional president, Colonel Michaël Randrianirina, who took power in October 2025 following a vast youth protest movement and the overthrow by the army of the former president.

It constitutes one of the latest signs of rapprochement between Moscow and Antananarivo, while the colonel had indicated, last November, that he was ready to open up to all countries provided that the partnership was "win-win".

Arrival of a Russian delegation and equipment

This rapprochement was notably materialized by the arrival of a Russian delegation and equipment from December 2025.

On December 20, a plane operated by the Russian Ministry of Defense and under American sanctions, RA-86572, landed at the Malagasy airport of Antananarivo-Ivato. The next day, the President of the National Assembly, Siteny Randrianasoloniaiko, indicated that a Russian delegation of 40 people had arrived on the island, and that equipment had been provided to the presidential guard, "as part of legitimate state cooperation". Known to be close to Moscow, Siteny Randrianasoloniaiko is considered a central player in this rapprochement.

Images, released by the latter, show boxes containing an assault rifle, a Russian-made Boomerang drone, or even a drone remote control, as detailed by the All Eyes on Wagner investigative collective. In total, “16 kamikaze drones, 50 handguns and 50 Kalashnikovs” were delivered, according to Siteny Randrianasoloniaiko.

If the news caused a stir, it is also because this Russian delegation would have been led by Andreï Averianov, deputy head of Russian military intelligence and alleged boss of Africa Corps, the paramilitary group which succeeded the Wagner organization.

Training by “Africa Corps instructors”

Less than a month later, on January 14, the presidency of the Refoundation of the Republic of Madagascar (transitional presidency) indicated that Russia had supplied weapons to the Malagasy army and that a “Russian delegation” had arrived to “train the Malagasy army in the use of this new equipment”.

She said training began that day and shared images showing masked Russian instructors alongside drones or assault and sniper rifles. One hundred and forty Russian instructors have been deployed on the island, according to the presidency.

According to African Initiative, a Russian press agency which presents itself as an "information bridge" with Africa, this "initial training" carried out by "Africa Corps instructors" would have been validated by 140 Malagasy soldiers. The media indicated that this eight-week training would be followed by other training.

According to a report by Russian state TV channel RT broadcast on March 15, the training provided by "Russian military instructors from the Africa Corps" covers different specialties: from engineers to assault units, snipers, reconnaissance teams and attack drone operators.

A masked Russian instructor explains, for example, in the report that he teaches the use of reconnaissance drones, the dropping of charges to strike a target, or the handling of kamikaze drones. The images also show the organization of military exercises with Kalashnikovs.

"This learning [...] could improve the Malagasy army, to protect us first and then to fight against zebu thieves in the south and west of the country", affirms Michaël Randrianirina in the report.

Furthermore, the Presidency of the Refoundation announced on April 23 the end of a one-month and three-week training course provided by “Russian soldiers” to 14 elements of the presidential guard, with the aim of “strengthening the security of the Honor Guard.”

Delivery of trucks and helicopters to “deliver humanitarian aid”

Additional equipment was then delivered by Russia in February, following the cyclones that hit the Big Island. Images, published on February 27 by the presidency of the Refoundation, show the presentation of six Kamaz trucks and two MI-8 helicopters, in addition to food aid, at Antananarivo airport. The material was transported via two separate deliveries reported on February 18 and 21, respectively by the Russian Embassy and African Initiative.

In the meantime, on February 19, the Malagasy president was received with honors by Vladimir Putin in Moscow, where he announced "a new era of cooperation" with Russia.

“These vehicles will immediately be used to transport humanitarian aid to Toamasina and remote areas,” the presidency then indicated, while specifying that they “will then be made available to the security forces to fight against insecurity and crime.”

“This humanitarian component is important because it reinforces the image of a government that acts for the population,” explains Ivan Klyszcz, researcher at the International Center for Defense and Security (ICDS) in Estonia.

Protection from the authorities?

If the government communicates openly about the provision by the Russians of training and equipment, it remains more discreet about the role that Russian personnel could play in protecting the authorities.

According to Le Monde, “mercenaries” from Africa Corps thus provide “close guard” to the president of the Refoundation.

At the end of March, Malagasy Internet users shared photos showing the President of the National Assembly surrounded by white bodyguards – described by some as Russian mercenaries –, accusing him of not having confidence in the Malagasy army. “The President of the National Assembly walks with them,” assures Thierry Vircoulon, associate researcher at the Sub-Saharan Africa Center of the French Institute of International Relations (Ifri).

According to him, this “personal security” would be the very reason why the government invited them. “He is afraid that there will be another putsch,” he believes.

Whatever the case, these Russian personnel now seem to be part of the landscape, as reported by the local press.

“Opaque cooperation”

In a context where civil society denounces the absence of real reforms and a decline in freedoms, and where Amnesty International points to "arbitrary arrests", this reinforced cooperation concerns a part of the population.

Also read “A sign that we must return to the streets”: in Madagascar, Gen Z faces the wall of fear

We spoke with a resident, who wishes to remain anonymous:

"Our problem is access to water and electricity. Madagascar is an island. We wonder why they are sending us tanks [armored vehicles, Editor's note]: it is not the priority. And why are we hiring Russian mercenaries when there are Malagasy soldiers?"

The Collective of Citizens and Citizen Organizations (CCOC), through its general secretary, Hony Radert, also calls for “much more transparency” on the subject. “We don’t understand this militarization,” she tells our editorial staff. "What is the justification for this? Is it really the priority in relation to all the development needs of the population? Today, there is no clear discourse on the reasons for the Russian presence and the military reinforcement."

Seta Dera, general coordinator of the Liberty 32 association, also points to "opaque cooperation": "We can associate with Russia, but the agreements made must be transparent. We are worried. We wonder about the compensation for these allocations, and about their usefulness, that is to say what these weapons will be used for."

The CCOC further considers that this type of cooperation is not part of the mandate of the power in place. “Its mission is to carry out the transition, to achieve a real overhaul of the governance system,” says Hony Radert. “For us, he should lead consultations, manage current affairs. It should not be now that we establish new relationships that bind the country.”

The story of a “global and benevolent power”

Why is Russia interested in Madagascar?

“As in the Central African Republic, once they have taken control of power, they will drive out Europeans in general, and the French in particular. And they will make money,” estimates Thierry Vircoulon, who points to the presence of gold and other minerals on the island.

The island also borders the Mozambique Channel, a corridor which becomes "even more important today due to the instability in the Middle East", specifies Ivan Klyszcz. “Ships which round the Red Sea via the Cape of Good Hope pass there.”

But this involvement goes beyond commercial considerations, according to the researcher:

"Russia seeks to support this narrative of a global, benevolent power, which supports governments that are trying to have sovereignty. They want to change the foreign policy of countries in Africa, so that they have a policy more favorable to Russia."

Cultural and economic influence

Russian interest in the island is not entirely new. In 2018, she tried to influence the outcome of the presidential elections. But this time, this influence seems to be spreading particularly quickly, not only in the military sector but also on the cultural and economic levels.

“Russia has obtained a broadcast on national radio and is in the process of buying a certain number of private media,” indicates Thierry Vircoulon.

A new pro-Russian political party, the Réveil Patriotique de Madagascar Uni, was also born in early March. It constitutes the political wing of the organization Friends of Russia in Madagascar, a central relay of the Russian nebula in circles of power.

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Furthermore, a Russian-Malagasy chamber of commerce, intended to stimulate trade between the two countries, was created at the end of March.

A rapprochement which is taking place while diplomatic relations with France – the island's historic partner but strongly criticized since the exfiltration of former president Andry Rajoelina aboard a French plane – have experienced turbulence in recent days.

On April 28, Madagascar demanded the expulsion of an agent attached to the French embassy suspected of being linked to “acts of destabilization”. The episode followed the circulation of rumors on social networks, denied by the French embassy which declared “to question the origin and motivations of those who spread [them].

On Wednesday April 29, the Presidency of the Refoundation announced that the Malagasy and French heads of state reaffirmed their desire “that this episode does not affect the dynamic of cooperation between the two countries”.

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